Manufacturer: Omega Year: 1939 Movement No: 8’327’151 Case No: 9’098’679 Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 26.5 SOB T2, 15 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel buckle Dimensions: 37mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
Catalogue Essay
The late 1930s to the early 1940s was an interesting period of time for wristwatches. Omega at the time were producing many chronometers housed in all different kinds of cases. The present piece is an example from 1939 with an unusually large sized case measuring 37 mm. Further fitted with a two tone sector dial with blued steel hands, this present watch is definitely an attractive chronometer from the era.
Omega's rich history begins with its founder, Louis Brandt, who established the firm in 1848 in La Chaux de Fonds. In 1903, the company changed its name to Omega, becoming the only watch brand in history to have been named after one its own movements. A full-fledged manufacturer of highly accurate, affordable and reliable watches, its sterling reputation enabled them to be chosen as the first watch company to time the Olympic Games beginning in 1932. Its continued focus on precision and reliability ultimately led their Speedmaster chronograph wristwatch to be chosen by NASA in 1965 — the first watch worn on the moon.
Key models sought-after by collectors include their first, oversized water-resistant chronograph — the reference 2077, early Speedmaster models such as the CK 2915 and 2998, military-issued versions of the Seamaster and oversized chronometer models such as those fitted with their prestigious caliber 30T2Rg.